


The Comfort of Touch

by Charlie9513



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Counter kisses, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mostly Fluff, Pregnant Maddie Buckley, Protective Siblings, Soft Evan "Buck" Buckley, Soft Josh Russo, Thanksgiving, Touch-Starved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:54:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27719171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charlie9513/pseuds/Charlie9513
Summary: Maddie is Josh’s best friend.  He loves her with his whole heart.  As he should.That being said.  The woman has once again taken on too much.  And that.  That is how Josh has ended up cooking Thanksgiving dinner in Maddie’s kitchen, with her very attractive little brother, while his very pregnant best friend micromanages from the kitchen table.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley & Maddie Buckley, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Josh Russo, Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han
Comments: 13
Kudos: 134





	The Comfort of Touch

**Author's Note:**

> Literally, just me working out my shit before thanksgiving. So sorry about this.

Maddie is Josh’s best friend. He loves her with his whole heart. As he should. 

That being said. The woman has once again taken on too much. And that. That is how Josh has ended up cooking Thanksgiving dinner in Maddie’s kitchen, with her very attractive little brother, while his very pregnant best friend micromanages from the kitchen table. 

Well, it was supposed to be the kitchen table. Though now, it was looking more like at Buck’s shoulder.

“Maddie, believe it or not, I have made mashed potatoes before,” Buck said as he guided her back to her designated seat at the table. “I will bring you some veggies to cut for the stuffing. You can do that seated.”

“I can do more than that, I’m fine-” Maddie began but was quickly cut off.

“You were told to take it easy, so you are going to take it easy.” Chim left no room for argument. Josh watched as Chimney sat next to her and began the same debate he knew they had been having for at least a week. Ever since the doctor told them that she needed to rest more, and keep off her feet. 

Chim wanted to cancel hosting Thanksgiving altogether, but Maddie was having none of that. She had invited the Buckley parents. Josh hadn’t heard much about their parents, just that the siblings didn’t talk to them much, but he could tell that canceling on them was not something either Buckley sibling seemed keen on doing. So he talked to Buck and they brought their plan to Maddie. 

She didn’t love it.

But she didn’t hate it nearly as much as canceling Thanksgiving. 

Now Josh and Buck were cooking Thanksgiving dinner, and Josh honestly loved it. 

They had arrived at ten, Buck had given Josh a ride since it was on his way, to start cooking. They had been laughing all morning. Every once in a while, Josh would be hit with how domestic it all felt. Especially before Albert woke up. Just Maddie and Chimney, and Josh and Buck. 

Not that there was a Josh and Buck. 

Well, not anywhere other than Josh’s imagination anyway.

Josh was lost in his thoughts about a domestic life with Buck when he felt something on his cheek. He turned toward Buck and saw the cheekiest grin on his face, and his finger still had some of those mashed potatoes on it. 

“You didn’t,” Josh said, though anger couldn’t find its way into his voice. 

“Are you sure?” Buck said, still grinning, as Josh reached up to feel what was on his cheek.

Sure enough, there was a swipe of mashed potatoes now on his hand. He reached forward quickly, placing them on Buck’s nose. They were almost giggling, and just as he could see Buck begin to scheme, they both heard “absolutely not!” 

“Sorry Maddie,” they said in unison. Still laughing, unable to stop.

“I’m going to go set up the dining room, please behave yourselves,” Maddie said. 

As she turned and walked out, Buck winked at Josh, still chuckling lightly. Josh’s heart may have paused. But it definitely came back to life when Buck grinned at him again. 

They were cooking, and bumping into each other more often than could be accidental, when the doorbell rang. Josh noticed the change instantly. Buck froze, tense, like he was waiting for something to strike.

“Evan.” Josh heard, and Buck winced. With his back turned to the voice, only Josh would have been able to see the flinch, but he did see it. 

“Hey Dad, how are you?” Buck was turning and smiling again as he said it, but this smile was unlike any he had seen that day. This one was entirely fake, not reaching his eyes even a little. 

So this must be their father Josh thought, the man is intimidating. 

Mr. Buckley was just as tall as Buck, though he did not have nearly the strength his son did. Mrs. Buckley was all soft and looked a lot like Maddie, though Buck definitely had gotten her eyes. 

Josh was more concerned with the way the Buckley parents were making Buck tense. They hadn’t even said anything yet. Josh realized he might be in for a long day.

And that Buck’s might feel even longer.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Throughout the day, Josh had noticed how, every once in a while, Buck’s tension would release. Even if only a little bit for just a moment. It took a few times for Josh to realize what was causing that relief.

The first time he started putting it together was when Buck was talking to his parents in the kitchen, while he and Josh were still cooking dinner. Josh wasn’t quite sure what the conversation was about, but he did notice that it was making Buck very uncomfortable. Then, like being pulled by an invisible string, Maddie came into the room and leaned heavily on her little brother. It could be easily viewed as a pregnant sister wanting a hug and some support from her brother, but Josh noticed how Buck visibly relaxed at the contact. 

The next time Josh noticed it was about a half-hour later. They were all waiting for food to cook, and everyone had convened in the living room. Buck was sitting on the couch, alone, talking to his dad. From the doorway, Josh could hear snippets of the conversation. Mostly centered around how much money Buck is making, and how much more he could be making. Josh watched Buck seem to make himself smaller, which is hard to do for such a large man. Just as Josh was thinking he should find a way to save Buck, Maddie came over to the couch and sat next to him. Josh noticed, though, she not only sat next to Buck but made sure they had at least one point of contact. 

Buck loosened significantly, without a hiccup in the conversation he was having with his father. 

Throughout the next hour, Josh noticed it had been happening more than he had realized. Josh had only been noticing the moments when Buck was seemingly ready to burst, but there were more. Small moments, for both siblings, where one was uncomfortable, and the other would initiate some form of physical contact. Whether it be a hand on an arm, a small side hug in passing, or even playfully knocking into each other. 

Josh had known that the Buckley siblings were very tactile, but he was only now realizing that it was more than that. It seemed like a well-practiced dance, that they’d been leaning on each other their entire lives. He wasn’t even sure that they noticed they were doing it at times, just drawn to the other when they were distressed. It was incredible to watch if you didn’t put too much thought into why these two amazing people needed this muscle memory coping mechanism.

At around 2, Chim corralled Maddie into their bedroom so she could take a nap before dinner at  
4\. Josh initially thought nothing of it, but at about 2:30 he realized he hadn’t seen Buck in a minute. He went into the kitchen under the guise of checking on the turkey and found Buck leaning into the corner of the counter. His dad was standing in just the right spot that Buck wouldn’t be able to get out of the kitchen easily or even see the door. Buck was engaged in the conversation, but the energy he usually exuded was nowhere to be seen, or felt. 

Josh made a decision on impulse and walked across the kitchen. They didn’t need it yet, but Josh pulled a serving dish from the cabinet that was next to Buck’s head. As he reached for the dish he leaned his weight into Buck’s shoulder. Josh knew he was no Maddie, but he couldn’t take Buck looking so uncomfortable.

To Josh’s surprise, Buck relaxed at the contact. 

As he pulled away to put the platter with the rest of the dishes he saw Buck smile at him. Josh sent a reassuring smile back and went to talk to Chimney. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Throughout the rest of the afternoon, before dinner, Josh made it his mission to make an attempt at relieving any tension it seemed Buck was holding. He didn’t have the Buckley sibling sixth sense that Maddie had, but Josh knew he was very good at reading people, especially those he cared about.

Each time Josh had a question for Buck about the food, or the table, or really anything, he would be sure to have some sort of contact. And each time Josh touched Buck, Buck would lean into the touch slightly. 

They never talked about it, and Josh figured that Buck was just thankful to have someone while his sister was sleeping. When Maddie woke up for dinner, though, Josh didn’t really want to stop. He liked Buck and definitely enjoyed having that contact with the younger man. So, when they all went to sit down for dinner, Josh was pleasantly surprised to find that Buck sought out the chair next to his. Especially when Maddie was across the table from Josh, and this put Buck next to his parents.

Dinner seemed to be going along fine. Everyone seemed happy throughout the meal, and the food Josh and Buck had prepared had actually been pretty good, much to Maddie’s obvious- to Josh at least- relief. 

As dinner was winding down Josh was engaged in a lively conversation with Maddie, Chimney, and Albert. Albert and Chimney were playfully arguing about Albert’s latest mischief when Josh felt a push at his leg. He looked down to see that Buck had pressed his entire left leg against Josh’s right one. Josh pushed back, reassuringly, and turned to the conversation Buck was having with his parents. 

Buck’s dad was talking about politics, slurred and passionate. Buck’s mom had an unnatural fixation with what little food was left on her plate, while her son had the other half of the political conversation. Josh tuned in as Mr. Buckley began saying something about how the current human rights movements are just a front for communism. 

At that Josh dropped his hand to Buck’s thigh, squeezing slightly. Just a small show of support Buck latched onto quickly looping his foot around Josh’s ankle. Josh knew getting involved in the conversation wouldn’t help the situation, so he moved his hand from Buck’s thigh to his shoulder. 

“Hey, can you help me get the desserts ready so Maddie doesn’t try to do it herself?” Josh asked Buck. Quiet enough that Maddie wouldn’t hear, but definitely loud enough for Buck’s parents to hear, and give Buck the out he seemed to be searching for. 

“Yes, yeah, yes please,” Buck said in a bit of a rush, and Josh was rewarded with a small, but pure, Evan Buckley smile.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

The moment the door to the kitchen closed, Buck deflated against the counter. Josh approached him slowly, sitting on the counter beside Buck. 

“This may be a stupid question, but are you okay?” Josh whispered after a minute, looking forward. 

“Yeah” Buck replied softly, also not turning his head, “yeah, it’s just exhausting sometimes.”

“If I can do anything to help-”

“You already are, Josh” a small smile graced Buck’s face.

“I just figured you wanted to get out of that conversation,” Josh said, finally turning to look at Buck.

“That’s not what I mean,” Buck seemed to be thinking about something, “You’ve been helping me all day.” Buck turned to look at Josh. “I’ve noticed you showing up when I need support. I don’t know how you knew it, but you’ve been there all day.”

“I’m pretty observant” Josh replied, looking down, then “and I couldn’t stand to see you that uncomfortable.” 

Buck stepped away from his spot at the counter to stand in front of Josh. “Thank you” Buck whispered. 

Josh was staring at Buck’s feet, all of a sudden losing the nerve he’s had all day. “Just wanted to help…”

“Josh,” Buck began emphatically “Please look at me.”

Josh looked up and Buck lit up immediately. Josh was slowly turning into mush because of that smile, he was so distracted he almost missed Buck begin rambling. 

“I may have been reading this wrong, but if I wasn’t-honestly I hope I wasn’t-uhm” Buck paused, long enough that Josh thought he wasn’t going to continue.

“Evan, what is it?” Josh said with a smile. He hoped he knew where this was going.

“Can I kiss you?” Buck whispered. 

Instead of responding, Josh grinned and reached for Buck’s face pulling him in for a kiss. Even on the counter Josh was shorter than Buck, but only by a couple of inches. The kiss was gentle at first, Buck’s hands coming to Josh’s waist as they both smiled into each other’s mouths. Josh’s hand went around to the back of Buck’s head and he laced his fingers into Buck’s hair. At that Buck stepped closer until they were flush against each other. Buck’s hands going to Josh’s thighs, slowly tracing from his hip to his knee and back again. Josh was contemplating wrapping his legs around Buck’s waist when they were interrupted.

“Oh my GOD” Maddie whispered, causing the two men to separate their mouths, breathless. She continued, “okay we will deal with this later, but right now our parents are coming in with the dishes and you two may want to put some room for the holy spirit over there.” 

Buck took a deep breath like he was bracing himself, and grabbed Josh’s waist to help him down off the counter. Buck turned towards the fridge that had the desserts and Josh looked sheepishly at Maddie. Thankfully, she didn’t seem mad. She actually looked kind of happy. 

Buck was barely two steps toward the fridge when the Buckley parents came into the kitchen.

“I thought you two were grabbing desserts, Evan?” Mr. Buckley said. Josh couldn’t really name the tone he used, but it definitely conveyed that he was both disappointed and unsurprised that it hadn’t been done yet. Which got under Josh’s skin, especially since he seemed to imply whatever the delay was was Buck’s fault. Buck on the other hand was unfazed.

“We were just making a game plan, dad.” Buck replied as his dad was placing dishes in the sink “Dessert buffet, or family-style. We decided we’ll just put everything we want on the counter.” Buck sent a cheeky wink Josh’s way, and Josh’s stomach flipped. Josh heard Maddie groan quietly. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the evening went pretty smoothly. Buck stuck pretty close to Josh’s side, close enough that Josh could feel excited energy radiating off of Buck. As it neared 8 Josh could feel Buck begin to get fidgety and Josh could agree, it was time to leave. 

All Josh had to do was make eye contact with Buck for him to nod, ready to go home. They slowly said their goodbyes, making their way towards the door. 

Mr. Buckley made a small fuss about them leaving so soon when the parents were only in town for a few days and Josh could see the guilt start to creep its way into Buck’s eyes. Before he would let Buck allow that boundary to be crossed, he reminded Buck loudly enough to be heard “You have an early shift tomorrow, though, don’t you?” 

Buck’s dad said something along the lines of “If you had stuck with finance you wouldn’t have to work the day after Thanksgiving.” And at that Josh watched the guilt disappear from Buck’s face. 

While that statement made Josh angry, he knew how much Buck loved his job, how proud of himself Buck is. It was enough for Buck to get out an “alright, goodnight” give Maddie a hug, and walk out the door.

The two walked to Buck’s Jeep in silence, and Josh was surprised when Buck walked around the car with him to open Josh’s door. Before Buck could open the door, though, Josh leaned against it. Buck stood in front of Josh with his hands in his pockets.

“I know you have to work tomorrow,” Josh said, smiling up at Buck, “but when is your next day off? Because I would love to take you out...on a date.”

A wide grin, that Josh hadn’t seen since the mashed potato incident earlier in the day, broke across Buck’s face. “I’m off Tuesday if you want to go on a real date, but I would love to just stay in with you after my shift one day. If that’s something you would want.”

“I’d love that, Evan,” Josh said quietly. Buck’s face softened and he slowly took his hands out of his pockets. He placed them on either side of Josh’s neck, his thumb rubbing languidly along Josh’s jaw. Buck looked into Josh’s face for a couple of seconds that, to Josh, felt like minutes, before suddenly kissing Josh deeply. Josh was pressed against the side of Buck’s Jeep with his hands running up Buck’s back. This kiss wasn’t like the one in the kitchen, soft and reassuring, this one was passion and excitement. Josh knew this kiss was different.

This kiss was the start of something. The start of something stable and safe and they both needed. And Josh couldn’t wait.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I've said this before, but I have a little brother that I'm super close to and the Maddie Buck sibling relationship reminds me of us so much. Except in this particular story, I'm 100% projecting my touch starved ass onto Buck. Constructive criticism is fine, let me know what you think.


End file.
